Ezekiel Cervantes was a troubled teen on the wrong path, struggling in school and already in the cross hairs of law enforcement.

His low point, he said, was being arrested for battering a police officer.

But after being referred to East Bay Asian Youth Center’s “Street Team,”a local nonprofit that, among other things, works with teens on probation, Cervantes was able to improve in school and turn his life around, he said.

The 19-year-old now spends his Saturdays cleaning the streets in Oakland’s San Antonio District, where he recently took on more responsibility as a supervisor.

“I’m just trying to be a role model for the others,” Cervantes said.

Cervantes and dozens of others were honored Thursday at a celebration hosted by Oakland Unite, the city’s program that oversees violence prevention measures funded for the past decade by Measure Y, a voter-approved tax that generates about $20 million a year for police, fire and anti-violence programs.

Juan Campos, Cervantes’ case manager, said his agency helps 120 youths every year. Thursday’s celebration at the West Oakland Senior Center — which featured music by Youth UpRising and an awards presentation by Mayor Libby Schaaf — helps reinforce positive behavior.

“Our youths unfortunately are used to negativity,” Campos said. “Honoring them when positive things happen encourages them to remain on the right path.”

Measure Y ends this year and will be replaced by Measure Z, a very similar public safety tax. But there are a few differences: Measure Z, according to officials, is specifically geared toward reducing gun violence. Schaaf is planning a drastic expansion of Ceasefire, the Police Department’s gun violence reduction strategy.

Josie Halpern, an Oakland Unite planner, said there will be a competitive process as programs reapply for the funding.

“There’s a fair amount of overlap between Measure Y and Z, but we don’t know exactly what (Oakland Unite) will look like under Measure Z,” Halpern said.